Reel apparatus



Jan. 12, 1960 w, DE BELL 2,920,836

REEL APPARATUS Filed Oct. 17, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Jan. 12, 1960 G. w. DE BELL REEL APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct.17, 1957 IN V EN TOR.

Jan. 12, 1960 G, w, DE BELL 2,920,836

REEL APPARATUS Filed Oct. 17, 1957 4Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR.

' Jan. 12, 1960 Filed Oct.

(3. w. DE BELL REEL APPARATUS 17, 1957 1 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 mm p INVENTOR.A :i awye WQ fi/Z United States Patent REEL APPARATUS George W. De Bell,East Chatham, N.Y., assiguor to The Sandy Hill Iron and Brass Works,Hudson Falls, N.Y., a corporation Application october 17, 1957, SerialNo. 690,701

Claims. (Cl. 242-65) This invention relates to improvements in apparatusfor winding web material into rolls.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of apparatusconstructed and arranged to wind successive rolls of material from a webthereof which is continuously supplied to the apparatus.

The apparatus may be used for forming rolls from webs of variousmaterials. Paper is a good example of material that is wound into rolls,but the novel features of the invention are not limited thereto.

As a web of paper comes from a paper making machine, calendering machineor other apparatus, it may be desired to wind said web into separatesuccessive rolls directly as it comes from said apparatus.

According to novel features of the apparatus in a general way, a web ofpaper is wound onto an arbor or mandrel in a carrier by a rotating drum,and when the web has been wound into a roll of a predetermined diameter,the drum ceases its roll rotating function, the web is severed, thewinding of a new roll on. a new arbor is commenced, the finished roll isdischarged, and the new arbor is transferred to the carrier.

The apparatus of the invention is characterized by arbor carrier andsupporting means for the roll winding operation which is guided andsupported for movement away from the winding drum during the windingoperation, and is arranged to discharge the arbor of a completed roll.At the same time, the arbor supporting means is such that when empty ofthe roll of material and its arbor, it is positionable to receive asubsequent arbor for the winding of a subsequent roll.

The roll of material being formed is rotated by the winding drum so thatat all times the surface speed of the drum and roll coincide to obtainthe most efiicient winding without unwanted wrinkles in the material ofthe roll. The gradually increasing diameter of the roll being woundfunctions in cooperation with the winding drum to move the arborsupporting means away from the winding drum and towards an arborreleasing or discharging position.

The apparatus of the invention is also characterized by means, inmovement of the arbor supporting means relativeto the winding drum, tomaintain accurate parallelism between the axes of the arbor and windingdrum thereby to provide rolls which are uniform in all importantrespects.

As one novel feature of theinvention, means is provided for returningthe arbor supporting or carrier means from its arbor releasing positionto arbor receiving position for an arbor on which a roll of material isto be wound As another feature of the invention, the arbor carrierandsupporting means, during the roll forming operation, moves away fromthe winding drum without friction and theweight of thjeroll does notaffect the friction between the drum and roll being formed so that theroll may be of the desired uniform hardness and other characteristics.,Yarious ehanges and modification may be made in'the Patented Jan. 12,1960 form of the apparatus without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention to be hereinafter disclosed in the presently preferredform thereof.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1 and 2 are diagrammatic elevational views of the principalcomponents of the apparatus of the invention to illustrate the operationthereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of the invention;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the upper portion of the forward ordelivery end of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevational view on the line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through one of the main bearinghousings of the apparatus;

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of one end of an arbor of the apparatus;and

Fig. 8 is a small scaleplan view of an upper plate of one of the sideframes of the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the novel features of theapparatus will be fully described.

To facilitate a clear understanding of the apparatus embodying the novelfeatures of the invention hereof and the operation thereof, it will bedescribed in connection with Figs. 1 and 2, which diagrammatically showthe essential components of the apparatus.

A driving drum 2, which is rotatable upon a horizontal axis indicated by4, receives a web of material W, such as paper, from a paper makingmachine, calendering apparatus, or other apparatus. The'said drum is incontinuous rotation in the operation of the apparatus and may be rotatedby any desired means.

Arms 6, at opposite ends of the drum, are swingable upon a horizontalaxis indicated by 8 from the position shown in Fig. 1 in a clockwisedirection, and reversely.

Said arms 6 are forked at 10 to receive and carry opposite ends of anarbor 12' on which the web is to be wound into a roll. The said arbor12', as shown in Fig. l, is out of contact with the web W and the drum2.

Gear segments 14 are integral with the arms 6, and are in mesh withpinions 16 of a rotatable shaft 18. The shaft 18 is initially rotated sothat the arms 6 are swung clockwise to bring the arbor 12' into contactwith the web W on the rotating drum 2 whereby said arbor is rotatedcounterclockwise by said drum. Subsequently the arms 6 are swung througha greater additional angle for depositing the ends of the arbor 12 insockets of carriers in the form of segments 20.

Arbor carriers or segments 20 are disposed at opposite sides of theapparatus and have peripheral edges 22 which are rollable alonghorizontal supports. Said segments are provided with seats or sockets 24to receive the ends of an arbor from the arms 6.

Said segments 20 are slotted between inner and outer sides inwardly tobearing surfaces 24 which are concentric relative to the longitudinalaxis of the arbor sockets and peripheries 22 thereof.

Pairs of flexible propelling members are provided for each segment 20.One of each pair of members is represented by dash lines 26 and one ofthe members of the other pair is represented by dot-dash lines 28.

Guide wheels 26' for the members 26 are rotatable on shafts which aredisposed on horizontal fixed axes. Other guide wheels 28' and 28" andshafts for the members 28 are provided. Shaft 29 is for the wheels 28".

A pair of cylinders 30, one on each side of the machine, have pistons 32reciprocable therein. Piston rods 34 of the pistons carry end members36. Shafts 38 are provided for transversely spaced wheels 40. The wheels40 are located at opposite sides of the machine on shafts 38 which areindependent.

The members 28 have upper end portions in the slots or grooves of thesegments 20, and are suitably anchored to said segments at 42. Saidmembers extend from the segments around wheels 28' and 28", aroundwheels 40, and at opposite ends are anchored or fixed at 44 tostationary parts of the apparatus.

Each of the members 26 are disposed in the slots or grooves of thesegments 20 and said ends are secured to the segment at 44. The oppositeends of said members 26 extend around wheels 49 and are secured at 46 tostationary parts of the machine.

The members 26 and 28 will be in the form of flexible chains but cablesor the like will be equally well adapted for the purpose of theinvention.

Where chains are used, all of the wheels referred to may be in the formof sprockets if desired. Sprockets 28" are fixed to shaft 29, and may berotated by turning said shaft so as to simultaneously roll the segments20 on the supporting means therefor and away from the dnim 2.

As the segments 20 roll on their supports in a clockwise direction, thearrangements of the parts is such that the wheels 48 and the pistons 32are moved to the left from the position of Fig. 1.

A pair of stabilizers are provided for each segment 20. One suchstabilizer 50 of each pair has one end anchored to each segment at 52,and an opposite end anchored or fixed at 54 to a fixed part of theapparatus. The other stabilizer 56 of each pair has one end anchored at58 to the segment, and an opposite end anchored or fixed at 60 to afixed part of the apparatus.

The stabilizers of the pairs thereof will preferably be in the form ofmetal bands. As the carriers or segments 20 roll in one direction, oneband will be wrapped or wound on the peripheries of the segments whilethe other band will be unwound. In reverse rolling, the reverse will betrue.

The stabilizers function to control the segments as they roll thereby tomaintain the axis of the arbor 12, in the sockets of the segmentsparallel to the axis of the drum 2 in all postions of the segments.

An air jet conduit 66 transversely of the apparatus and is provided withparts for directing jets of air upwardly between the drum 2 and a rollof material R on an arbor 12 carried by the segments.

In Fig. l, with the drum 2 in rotation, the web W is being wound on arotatable arbor 12 in the sockets 24 of the segments 20. The roll Rbeing formed bears against the drum so as to be rotated thereby. As theroll R builds up or increases in diameter, the segments 20 rollclockwise on their peripheries away from the drum 2, so that the axis ofthe arbor therein moves horizontally in a straight line to the right.

Fig. 2 shows the components in about the transfer position where theroll R is spaced from the drum about 3" or so. When the arbor is filledto the desired diameter, the members 26 and 28 are operated by pistons32 of cylinder 30 to move the roll R to the right to provide the spacebetween the roll- R and drum.

- The arms 6 are swung clockwise through a rather small initial angle tobring an arbor 12 therein into contact with the web W on the drum forrotation thereof by said drum- Jets of air are directed upwardly betweenthe drum 2 and roll R so as to lift or blow the web from the drum andballoon or loop it upwardly as indicated by 70 and bring it around intocontact with the rotating arbor 12. The ballooning of the web causes itto double upon-itself somewhat, as indicated by 72, and the doubledportion is caught in the bite of the arbor 12' and drum whereby therotating arbor winds 12 up the web. The web W between the arbor and rollR then becomes taut so that it is ruptured and separated from the rollR.

Subsequent to rupture of the web, segments 20 are moved clockwisethrough their full travel to discharge the filled arbor 12 ontosupporting means of the machine, or suitable other means. Such movementof the segments is accomplished through the members 28 by applyingpressure to the right hand end of cylinders 30.

With the arbor 12 free of the segments 20, pressure is applied to theleft end of the cylinders to move the pistons to the right. Suchmovement of the pistons and rolls 40 causes the members 26 to roll thesegments 20 counterclockwise to position the sockets 24 thereof in arborreceiving position where said sockets are adjacent the drum.

The arms 6 are further rotated clockwise by means of the gearing so thatthe arbor 12 being rotated by the drum to wind up the web has itsopposite ends deposited in the sockets of the segments. The roll partlyformed in the arbor lies against the drum and is rotated thereby forcontinuing and completing a roll from the web. The pressure between theroll and drum can be controlled by the pressure at the left end of thecylinders 30.

The supporting structure of the apparatus includes horizontally spacedsimilar side frames which are preferably formed from various shapes ofstructural steel. It will be understood that the elements may be securedtogether in any well known manner such as by welding, riveting, boltingor the like. These side frames will preferably be mounted on suitablefoundations or at least on a suitable support so that the components maybe maintained in operative relationship, and of course the side framesmay be suitably secured together in horizontally spaced relation, as maybe desired.

Otherwise the side frames may be of castings or formed in any desiredmanner.

For purpose of disclosure, the side frames 69 are provided withelongated horizontal sole plates 70 and with horizontally spaced lowerstringers 72 on said sole plates.

Vertically extending supporting fixed pillars, such as 74, have lowerends secured to the stringers 72, and upper ends secured to upperelongated stringers 76. Upper elongated horizontally disposed plates 78are carried by and secured to the upper stringers 76.

Similar bearing housings, such as 80, for the drum 2 and arms 6 aresecured to upper sides of the upper plates 78 of each side frame. Onesaid bearing housing is shown in Fig. 6.

A shaft 82 for the drum 2 is journalled in the housing by means of ananti-friction bearing 84, and an end cap 86' secured to the housingholds the bearing 84 in place. Sealing rings 86 are held in place byplates 88 as is usual.

A ring 90 is rotatable on the housing which is held against axialdisplacement therefrom by means of a ring 92 secured thereto. A centralpart of the arm 6 is held to the ring 90 by a ring 94. The arm 6 is thusmounted for swinging in such manner that the shaft 82 rotates on axis 4while the arm swings on axis 8. That is, the axes of the arm and shaftare relatively spaced.

With a bearing housing 80 secured to each side frame, the shaft 82extends between the side frames, and has the drum 2 fixed thereto whichis disposed between said side frames. The shaft 82 and drum may berotated by any desired means so that the web to be wound into a roll isdelivered to the apparatus.

The gear segments 14 are fixed to the lower ends of the arms 6. Thedriving pinions 16 therefor are fixed to the shaft 18 which is rotatablein bearings such as 96 secured to the leftmost support 74, see Fig. 3.The shaft 18 may be rotated by a motor, crank or such other means as maybe desired.

The upper plates 78 of the side frames are provided with elongated slots79, in which the arbor carriers or segments 20 are disposed, see Fig. 8.The segments have wear plates 20 on their opposite sides for slidablyengaging opposite sides of the slots 79 as they roll on their supports.Said segments are provided with slots 98 between opposite sides thereofas in Fig. 5, which terminate in curved surfaces 24, shown clearly inFig. 3.

Supports 100 of each side frame for the segments 22 are in the form ofelongated horizontally disposed plates 100 secured to upper sidesofelongated intermediate rail 102. The rails 102 are supported bytransverse members 104 secured to the vertical members 74.

Elongated horizontally extending guides 106 are disposed in verticalplanes and are secured to the plates 100. Said guides are adapted toengage and guide peripheral side portions of the segments 20 as theyroll back and forth relative to plates 100. a

The stabilizers 50 and 56 of the pairs thereof for each of the segments20 are flat flexible metal strips or bands, and are adapted to lie onthe plates 100. One stabilizer 50 of the pairs thereof has upper endssecured at 52 to the segments 20, and opposite ends secured to the endsof the guides 106 by plates 54. The other stabilizer 56 of the pairsthereof has one end secured to the segments at 58, and opposite endssecured to the ends of the guides 106 by plates 60.

The peripheries of the segments 20 engage the stabilizers. As the saidsegments roll in opposite directions, the stabilizers of the pairsthereof are alternately wrapped or wound on and unwound from saidperipheries, and are arranged to maintain the axes of the sockets anddrum in accurate parallelism.

The cylinders 30 have members 108 secured to the rails 72 of the frames,and the piston rods 34 thereof are slidable in guides 110 secured tosaid rails 72. End members 36 of the piston rods have shafts 38 to carrythe wheels 40.

A chain 26 and a chain 28 is provided for each segment 20. As shown inFig. 1, an upper end portion of each chain 28 is disposed in the slot 98of a segment, and is secured thereto at 42. Said chains 28 extend overwheels or pulleys 28' and 28", the lower member 28" being in the form ofa sprocket. Shafts 112 and 29 are rotatable in members 114 and 116secured to vertical members 74. The shaft 29 at least extends betweenthe side frames, and may be rotated by any desired means, preferablyhowever by action of pistons 32. The chains 28 extend over the wheels40, and are anchored by bolts 118 secured to members 120 which in turnare secured to the rails 72.

Each chain 26 has one end secured to a segment at 44, and extends overpulleys 26' and 26" on shafts 122 and 124 of vertical plates 126 of eachside frame. The opposite end portions of the chains 26 extend over thewheel 40 and are anchored by bolts 46 to members 118, of the sideframes.

Bracket members 128 are secured to a side of the upper portion of eachside frame, and have stop bars 130 pivoted thereto at 132, see Fig. 4.In their stop position, the stops 130 rest on the upper plates 78 of theframes to stop the arbors from rolling from oif the ends of said plates78.

The arbor 12 includes an elongated shaft 134 on opposite ends of whichis a rotatably mounted bearing 136 which is held against axialdisplacement. The bearings 136 are receivable in the seats 24 of thesegments 20, and are of such dimensions as to be out of contact with theupper plate 78 as the segments roll therealong in forming of a roll R.Bearings 138, in which opposite ends of the shaft 134 are freelyrotatable, are receivable in the slots of the forked ends of the arms 6.A central portion 140 of the arbor, on which a web is wound to form aroll such as R, is preferably tubular and is fixed to said shaft 134 inany desired and suitable manner.

Various means may be provided for supplying air for rupturing the web asthe full roll thereof is formed. For illustrative purposes, the conduit66 is indicated which may be provided with longitudinally spaced ports,and suitably connected to an air supply. Said conduit will extendbetween the side frames to underlie the web W.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that the roll R being formed onthe arbor in the segments, is in contact with and rotated by the drum.As the roll increases in diameter, the segments roll clockwise away fromthe drum on their peripheries to the finished size of the paper roll.The segments are readily rolled clockwise to move a completed roll fromout of contact with the drum, and further to its arbor and rolldischarging position. The arms swing an empty arbor into contact withthe drum, so that the web is looped into contact with an arbor andcaught between the bite of the said arbor and drum whereby the arborcommences winding a roll so that the web is ruptured. The segmentsrelease the arbor of a completed roll so that the ends of the arbor aresupported by the upper plates of the supporting structure for removalthereof from the'apparatus. The segments are returned to arbor receivingposition adjacent the drum, and the arms swing clockwise to transfer anarbor, on which a roll is partly formed, so that opposite ends areseated in the sockets of the segments.

Various means may be employed for rotating the drum and the shafts 18and 29, as well as for supplying pressure to the cylinders all to theend that the components of the machine may operate in the desired timerelation. Such changes may be made as will adapt the apparatus for usewith webs of various materials, and therefor it is desired to belimited, if at all, by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription of the present preferred form of the invention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for winding web material from a continuous supply thereofinto a roll wound on an arbor comprising, an elongated supportingstructure having an inner end and an outer discharge end, a drive rollfor continuous rotation on a horizontal axis at the inner end of saidstructure for receiving web material and engaging and rotating a roll ofweb material being wound on an arbor, a pair of elongated transverselyspaced horizontal segment supports secured to said structure havinginner and outer discharge ends, a pair of segments having partialperipheries circumferentially related to horizontal axes thereof forrolling on said segment supports between inner ends thereof and adischarge position at the outer discharge ends of said supports, meansfor guiding said segments in rolling movements thereof, said segmentshaving aligned sockets open along corresponding sides thereof oppositeto said peripheries and adapted to receive an arbor and to release anddischarge said arbor in discharge position of said segments, anelongated arbor having end portions receivable in thesockets of thesegments adapted therebetween for the winding of a roll thereon bycontact of said roll with said drive roll and provided with opposite endextremities, said segments adapted to be rolled away from said driveroll toward the discharge position thereof by contact of the drive rolland roll being wound on said arbor, actuating means to roll saidsegments towards their discharge positions to break contact between saiddrive roll and roll wound on said arbor and beyond to said dischargeposition and to roll said segments to the inner end of the structure,supporting means fixed to said structure for supporting the endextremities of said arbor as it is discharged from said sockets, andmeans stabilizing and maintaining the axes of said segments inalignment.

2. Apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein said guide means includeselongated rigid members fixed in horizontal position to said supportingstructure and each having a pair of transversely spaced longitudinalportions engaging opposite sides of said segments adjacent the periphaeries thereof.

3. Apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein the actuating means forrolling said segments between inner and discharge positions thereofincludes a pair of cylinders havsegme h end. p rtions o each p i ofmembers xt nd ng throu h i umf r i l r e p o d d n sai segments andfixed t0 opposite ends of an arcuate bottom of said groove, said membersof the pairs extending in opposite directions from said segments andaround guides provided in said structure to means for moving saidmembers of the pairs in opposite directions.

5. Apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for maintaining theaxes of the segments in alignment includes, a pair of adjacentrelatively thin elongated flexibl'e bands for each segment, the bands ofthe pairs thereof having corresponding inner and outer ends, the innerend of one band of each pair thereof secured to one end of the peripheryof its respective segment and the outer end of said band being securedto the outer discharge end of the support for said segment, the outerend of the other band of each pair thereof secured to the opposite endor" the periphery of said'respective' segment and the inner end of saidother band being secured to the inner end of the support for saidsegment all adapted and arranged whereby in rolling movement of saidsegments in opposite directions one band of each pair thereof is Wrappedaround the periphery of its respective segment While the other band ofthe pairs thereof are unwrapped from said segment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,457,822 Crandell June 5, 1923 2,528,713 Thomson Nov. 7, 1950 2,703,683Evans et a1 Mar. 8, 1955

